


Preconceived Notions

by Winifred_Zachery



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Baby Peter Parker, Bruises, Disabled Character, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, M/M, Omega Tony Stark, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony is a great dad, Tony's gonna kick Ty's ass!, dad tony stark, former Vet Bucky Barnes, h/c, mentions of physical harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 06:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16571198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winifred_Zachery/pseuds/Winifred_Zachery
Summary: “I-I’m sorry, I was looking for the shelter?” The Omega’s voice comes out with a squeak as the man notices he’s staring down the barrel of Bucky’s rifle.Bucky notices his scent immediately. Omega. Exhaustion. Panic. He lets the shotgun sink.“You missed by half a mile.“ Bucky watches the shoulders slump, then wince as lightning brightens the sky, followed by an ear-splitting roll of thunder.The bundle in the man’s arms starts whimpering.“I think you should stay here.”





	Preconceived Notions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my first ever A/B/O fic!
> 
> My immeasurable gratefulness goes to [Roe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseandthorns28/pseuds/roseandthorns28) and [Bill_Longbow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bill_Longbow/pseuds/Bill_Longbow) for always encouraging me through the tough bits!
> 
> This piece was beta'd by [Simi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathsweetqueen). Thanks for doing such a great job!

Tony stops for a brief moment and chances a look around. He can’t see much; the rain is pouring down like a curtain and it’s getting dark fast. There’s nobody around, a relief and curse at the same time because that means he hasn’t been found yet, but he also can’t ask anybody for the way.

It has to be here somewhere. The flier he’d seen had mentioned turning right at the intersection and then heading towards the woods. But there is nothing there but empty fields. He curses the cab driver who had refused to go any further, without even telling him where they were when his money had run out. He curses not having at least taken the time to grab his wallet. But there hadn’t been any more time when he’d run from the penthouse and made for the street.

The small bundle in his arms gives a little squawk, and Tony starts moving again, holding his precious cargo a little tighter.

“It’s alright; we’ll find it,” he soothes, carefully feeling inside the leather jacket to make sure the water hasn’t penetrated yet.

He himself is already soaked to the bone and starting to shiver. He has to push on and find shelter soon. But there is nothing there. He finally reaches the tree line, but the small road continues, and the trees provide no shelter.

It should be here. The directions had been pretty simple. This can’t be so goddamn difficult. Maybe he headed the wrong direction back at the city line? Doubts rise inside him. He can’t stay here much longer. It’s cold and while the inside of the leather jacket is still dry, it won’t remain so much longer, and he can’t risk it.

Tony pauses again, darkness crowding in, thunder rolling in the distance. The weather is only gonna get worse. He just decided to turn back, try another place, try a homeless shelter to stay the night at least, when suddenly, there is a light shining through the darkness and the trees.

“Yay,” Tony silently cheers and starts walking again, leaving the road for the shortest way to the safe haven.

***

Bucky has just climbed out of the shower when there’s a knock on the door. Scowling, he throws on a flannel shirt and stalks over. It’s a bit late for anyone to be knocking on his door, so it’s likely trouble. He reaches for the shotgun and throws open the door. What he doesn’t expect is a man with a goatee, drenched from head to foot, eyes hopeful and desperate and clutching a leather-wrapped bundle to his chest with both arms.

“What the…” he can’t continue because at the same moment the man begins to speak. Or rather stutter.

“I-I’m sorry, this… I didn’t mean to… this isn’t the shelter. I was looking for the shelter?” The last bit comes out with a squeak, as the man notices he’s staring down the barrel of Bucky’s rifle.

Bucky notices his scent immediately. Omega. Exhaustion. Panic. He lets the shotgun sink.

“You missed by half a mile,” he manages to rasp out, as he puts down the rifle and pulls the door open.

“Oh, damn, I’m so sorry,” the man starts to apologize, eyes sinking. “I’ll just…”

Bucky watches his shoulders slump, then he winces, as lightning brightens the sky, followed by an ear-splitting roll of thunder.

The bundle in the man’s arms starts whimpering.

“I think you should stay here.”

***

Tony gets the scare of his life when he’s suddenly faced with an open door and the barrel of a shotgun, on the other end of which stands a rough-looking Alpha with wild hair and a scruffy chin.

But before he can even take one step back, a firm hand pulls him forward and into the dry and brightly lit cabin. Because it is definitely only a cabin and not the shelter he was looking for. How on earth did he miss that.

“I- really, there’s no need,” he tries to protest again, but Peter has finally started crying inside his tight bundle, and there’s just no way he can go out in that weather again.

He is uncomfortably aware of the water dripping down onto the floor from his clothes, but the man, tall and imposing, pulls him forward, not caring that Tony is probably leaving muddy footprints all across the floor.

“Put him here,” the gruff man suggests, patting the bed still covered with a thick comforter. “I’ll get you a towel.”

Tony has no choice but to obey, and puts the soaked jacket down to unwrap the baby from his prison. Peter is still hiccoughing dryly, but calming down a little once he’s able to see his father.

“Hey, there, little one,” Tony coos quietly, stroking a hand down the baby’s soft, warm body to calm both himself and his son. Peter seems to be alright, thank goodness, even though he’s probably starving by now and still complaining at Tony with a wrinkled face.

Tony doesn’t hear the Alpha return, until he’s almost upon them and turns to stand between the man and Peter.

He is a little taken aback when the other ducks his head a little, obviously trying to appear non-threatening and holding out a towel with his hand. His only hand. Because the Alpha doesn’t have a left arm.

“Hey, I don’t think I introduced myself yet,” the tall man begins. “I’m Bucky, my sister runs the shelter down the road. And, um, you should probably feed the little one.”

This isn’t what Tony expected. The man isn’t coming closer, isn’t posturing, but instead keeps a respectful distance, while Tony wraps the towel around his shoulders.

Then he lifts a finger at Tony, bidding him to wait, before turning around and disappearing through a door toward the back of the cabin. He reappears a minute later, carrying a packaged bottle and a container of powdered milk.

“I store some of the supplies for the shelter here,” he explains with a shrug upon Tony’s unspoken question.

A few more minutes and the man - Bucky - has water boiling and is expertly cleaning the bottle, before sterilising it and preparing the milk. It’s totally obvious that this man knows his way around babies.

Tony slowly starts to relax. He’s got no choice. He’s still dripping and cold, and exhaustion is catching up with him fast.

The hand that reaches for the bottle that Bucky holds out a bit later is shaking.

“Hey, maybe you should take a quick shower, while I feed the little tyke,” the Alpha carefully suggests without ever even making a move toward the baby who is still unhappily complaining from the bed.

Tony hesitates a moment longer. He’ll never forgive himself if anything happens to Peter again, but he doesn’t have another choice. Tiredly, he nods and watches, as Bucky carefully kneels by the bed and waves his fingers at Pete.

“Hey there, little fella,” he murmurs softly, a sound that Ti- other Alphas wouldn’t be caught dead making for a cub. Pete stops whining for a moment and watches the new person with big, curious eyes. “Why don’t the two of us move to the couch, so your daddy can see us from the bathroom once he’s out of the shower, hm?”

“Da,” the baby tells him with emphasis, and Bucky seems to take this as agreement. He hands over the bottle to Tony and scoops Peter up with only one hand, so sure in his movements that Tony can’t shake the impression that he’s done this before.

Peter doesn’t protest, just turns his head to where Tony is still standing with the warm bottle in his numb fingers. Once the man is situated on the couch, Peter safely on his lap, Tony finally follows and hands Peter’s erstwhile the bottle. His seat is indeed in plain view of the bathroom door.

“Just leave the door open, so you can hear us,” the man explains. “There’s another towel and some clothes on the washing machine.”

“Thanks,” Tony breathes, “I can’t- thanks.”

Before he can break down completely in front of the stranger holding his baby so tenderly, he vanishes in the bathroom.

***

While Tony is in the shower, Bucky quickly dials Becky to let her know there’s an omega looking for refuge here with them and to expect him and his son tomorrow, but mostly, he does it to let Tony hear him talk.

Once he’s been fed, the tiny boy quickly starts drooping and, as soon his father comes out of the shower dressed in one of Bucky’s old shirt and too big sweats, Bucky helps change him and offers both of them his bed to sleep.

Tony, of course, tries to protest, but quickly listens to Bucky’s reasoning that he’ll be much more comfortable with Peter next to him, since Bucky doesn’t have a crib for the baby.

And it’s probably going to help the Omega sleep, being surrounded by an Alpha’s scent. It’s simple chemistry.

The smaller man is still protesting, but the baby is already situated on the far side of the bed, wrapped in a warm blanket and making soft sounds that draw his father’s attention.

Bucky nods in satisfaction and moves to the couch. He’s slept in worse places and at least this one smells like home, even though the Omega’s scent has already started to permeate into it. Bucky can’t say he minds.

He must have fallen asleep quickly, but suddenly he’s wide awake, sitting upright on the sofa, listening into the darkness.

Something on the bed rustles, followed by a terrified whimper. And seconds later somebody knocks on the door.

It just takes Bucky’s still sleep-addled brain seconds to pierce the whole scene together. He sees the bruises the baby wears around his soft little arm and the swelling on his father’s jaw that the Van Dyke doesn’t quite cover.

Why else would a lone omega come looking for shelter with his baby, in that kind of weather? No, Bucky isn’t stupid enough to believe that the knocker on his door is a concerned husband looking for his bondmate.

“Stay in bed, don’t move,” he hisses, as quietly as possible, hoping the omega will be able to remain calm enough not to give himself away.

He quickly gets up and reaches for the shotgun. Before he opens the door, he switches on the small lamp on his desk to illuminate whoever is outside and shroud the room in darkness.

“What do you want?” he growls, voice deep and still raspy with sleep.

The man outside is wearing a hooded jacket that is already drenched with water and covers his face well. He smells like rage and Alpha and alcohol. For once, a good thing, because that way he won’t be able to smell the omega.

The stranger straightens his shoulders, leans forward, trying to see over Bucky’s shoulder and into the dim cabin. Alpha posturing. Bucky snorts, not moving an inch.

“Looking for an Omega bitch and a cub,” the man rasps. “You seen ‘em?”

“You got business with that Omega?” Bucky asks back, not liking at all how this guy is referring to the man and baby Bucky is currently sheltering in his home.

“Sure do. Little bitch ran away and took the cub with him. Gonna make sure they both go back where they belong.”

Looks like Bucky’s assessment was spot on. Some Alphas still haven’t gotten into their heads that Omegas aren’t their property, even if they’re bound. Seems like this guy is one of those. And Bucky can’t stand them.

“Ain’t no Omega bitch here,” he replies, voice still calm and steady. Unfortunately the answer doesn’t seem to be to the guy’s liking.

“Come now, there are footsteps outside the door; he must have at least passed here,” the guy starts to wheedle and actually steps closer again, rising on his toes to get a glimpse of the inside of Bucky’s cabin.

Bucky still doesn’t budge an inch. He hopes Tony is still well hidden in the shadows and that the baby won’t make a sound at an inopportune moment. Because if the stranger discovers the two of them here, there will be a fight and while Bucky can and will fight, he’d prefer not to upset the man and baby currently hiding in Bucky’s bed.

“They’re not here,” Bucky replies, tone sharp now. He sees the other Alpha wince and knows he’s won some ground.

It’s then that there’s movement among the trees and another male voice calls out. “Hey Ty, the shelter should be over there somewhere, I bet the little slut is hiding out there!”

“Yeah, nevermind,” the guy tells Bucky and finally retreats into the darkness.

Bucky closes the door behind him and engages the lock. After a brief glance around to ensure that all the curtains are properly drawn, he lets his gaze settle on Tony.

The man is sitting pressed into the corner of the bed, the baby wrapped tightly in his arms. Despite being awake, Peter hasn’t made a single sound and is watching Bucky with bright eyes. Tony is watching him too, but his eyes speak of fear.

“I don’t belong to him,” the man whispers, after minutes of silence. He sounds angry and almost petulant. “We haven’t even bonded yet, and I sure as hell won’t now. He won’t lay a finger on Petey again.”

Bucky notices the way his hands shake.

The words seem to agitate the small boy in his arms a little, and he gives a small whimper that draws Tony’s attention from the threatening Alpha in the room.

“I don’t care,” Bucky replies darkly, drawing both his guests’ startled attention once more. “I don’t care if you’re bonded to him. If you decided to leave him, then I don’t need a reason. I’m not gonna let him near you or Peter.”

***

Once Bucky’s words sink in, Tony’s body sags. The shaking in his hands gets no better, however. It gets so bad that he has to place Peter down on the mattress, hands still covering the small body of his son.

“I’ll come a bit closer, okay?” Bucky asks and slowly does just that, careful to stay in Tony’s sight at all times. “A little proximity will help you calm down more quickly. I wouldn’t normally, but I think you might need it right now.”

Tony doesn’t protest. He is grateful that Bucky asked instead of just assuming.

At Tony’s nod, the alpha sits down on the edge of the bed, careful not to touch either Tony Peter.

“Thanks,” Tony says after a while, voice a bit steadier than before. “Not everybody would have sent an Alpha packing after he staked such an obvious claim.”

It’s true too, despite such practices having long since been outlawed.

Bucky just snorts. “If he’d treated you right, you wouldn’t have had reason to run.”

Tony’s been taught differently. His… Howard had been old-school. He’d been a first-grade Alpha, disappointed that his only son and heir had turned out an omega. For the man, omegas were weak creatures, a commodity and possession for their alpha, and he’d dealt with Tony accordingly. He’d been promised to Ty from the moment he presented.

Suffice it to say that Tony and Ty didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, and when Peter was born and the doctors had told the Alpha that the boy would very likely present as an Omega, he hadn’t been amused. He had denied paternity and wanted to force Tony to give him up for adoption. Tony hadn’t cheated and like hell he’d give up his son. Ty hadn’t liked that much. The bruises on both him and Peter were proof of that and the reason he’d run to seek shelter.

He sits up straight, all of a sudden, remembering Ty’s words. “Damn, I led them right to the shelter; they’ll cause trouble for sure”

Bucky snorts once more, this time with amusement. “Don’t worry, I’ll just make a call.”

Tony watches as the man reaches for his phone, pressing speed dial.

“Hey Stevie, you got incoming.”

Whoever is at the other end laughs and replies something that Tony can’t hear, but makes Bucky grin and hang up. “There, all taken care of.”

“They have security?” Tony asks, relieved. He should have thought of that.

Bucky nods, grin still playing across his face. “Former army captain and a couple friends. They’ll show your ex what’s what.”

His ex. Huh, imagine that. Sounds good to him.

Beneath his hands, Peter squirms and yawns. Now that the excitement has abated, Tony feels exhaustion creeping up on him.

“Think you can sleep?” Bucky asks, with a look at the baby’s drooping eyes.

Tony nods, rubbing a hand over the stubble on his face. He really needs to shave; his goatee is all messed up. Maybe he can get some supplies tomorrow, as soon as he can reach Pepper, as soon as he can be sure that Ty won’t ever lay his hands on Peter again.

For now, though, he watches as Bucky gets up to check the windows and door once again, before extinguishing almost all lights and sitting down on the couch with a book.

Tony falls asleep again to the calm breathing from Peter and the man holding vigil over them.

***

The next day, Tony wakes to gentle sunlight shining through the curtains and soft, if a little disharmonic, humming.

As he blinks and opens his eyes, Tony reaches out a searching hand to feel for the small body that’s the most important thing in his life. He shoots upright when he finds the mattress empty beside him.

“Oh, uh, you’re awake,” comes Bucky’s hesitant voice from across the room.

The Alpha is standing by the stove, spatula in hand and a small bundle held against his chest with a length of cloth. “Sorry, didn’ mean t’ scare you, but Petey got fussy and I didn’t wanna wake you just yet.”

Tony can’t help his smile when the small boy pats the Alpha’s chest with excited hands and squeals delightedly when the man bounces him a little. It’s just too adorable and Bucky doesn’t seem to mind.

Tony climbs to his feet and saunters over to them. He is feeling a lot better by the light of day, safely away from anything that might harm him. Or at least, with Bucky keeping him safe.

“Did you cook breakfast for me?” he asks, teasingly.

“I might’ve,” the Alpha answers, turning back to the frying pan.

He can’t see Bucky’s face, but the tone is shy and maybe a bit embarrassed. This isn’t what Tony knows of alphas.

“Thanks. I mean, you didn’t have to.”

Before Bucky can reply, the baby still strapped to his chest starts cooing and clapping his hands, as he sees his daddy. Tony smiles at his son and takes a step closer.

“Come on, least I can do is relieve you of the little menace here.”

“Was no hardship,” Bucky murmurs, as he leans down to let Tony pull the sling over his head and hoist Peter onto his hip. “He’s a good boy.”

With another glance and a small smile, he turns back to the stove, leaving Tony to admire his broad back while he prepares their breakfast.

“I better show you to the shelter,” Bucky explains, once they’re both finished with the wonderful pancakes he made for them and generous helpings of fresh fruit salad and coffee. “Becks is gonna take care of you.”

Tony nods. He doesn’t really want to leave. Bucky is nice and his presence is calming. He’s great with Peter too and certainly not hard on the eye.

“Yeah, sure, I mean, we practically invaded you in the middle of the night. So, shelter, good idea, let’s do this.”

He doesn’t know how to tell Bucky that he doesn’t actually need a place to stay. How do you explain to an alpha like Bucky that you got scared for the safety of your child and ran out of your own house in a blind panic, with nothing but the clothes on your back?

You don’t. That’s how. He’s embarrassed enough as it is. He is Tony Stark after all, but Bucky doesn’t seem to have recognized him. Must be the baby. Not many people know Tony Stark had a cub after he was married, mostly because his now-ex tried everything in his power to keep that little bit of news out of the press.

Tony had been okay with that. He wants Peter to have a normal childhood, or as normal as it can be when you’re the son of a genius billionaire omega philanthropist. But Ty’s motives had been different. He’s an old-school alpha - which is to say, sexist, misogynistic and chauvinistic - who’d been embarrassed as fuck that the newborn had been tested (without Tony’s consent) for tertiary gender and born with the predisposition for omega presenting . Real alphas don’t produce Omegas, which is why he never even claimed Peter as his; right now, Tony is grateful as fuck for that.

Tony doesn’t care about these things. And neither does Bucky, apparently. After he’s cleared the table, while Tony makes use of the bathroom again, he entertains Petey by making funny faces and playing peek-a-boo and aeroplane - one handed - and isn’t that just hot as hell? 

No, Tony, don’t perv on the nice Alpha who can lift your baby boy in his huge palm so safely and securely.

Still. The big, silent man, laughing and playing with his precious son, is one of the sexiest things he’s ever seen.

But Bucky is right. The shelter is probably the best place to leave Peter for a day, while Tony goes back to his mess of a life to take care of some things. Mainly throw his ex-Alpha out of the house and make sure the man won’t ever find anybody else to hurt.

The walk is a short one, along a picturesque path that twists through the wood. Tony would have never found that in the dark.

Bucky is carrying an excited Peter, who keeps pointing towards a bird flying overhead or a cluster of flowers next to the path, and Bucky humors the baby by patiently explaining what the names of each are, even though he knows Peter is way too little to understand any of it. But the boy enjoys the alpha’s attention and answers each of Bucky’s explanations with an excited gurgle.

The shelter itself is smaller than Tony expected. The house has clearly seen better times and, judging from the number of windows visible, there’s probably space for no more than a dozen people. But there are well cared for flower beds in front of the house, and he can see a vegetable garden just behind it. An old jeep is parked to the side.

On the steps, a young woman is already waiting for them and hurries over once she catches sight of them. She shares Bucky’s brown hair, grey eyes and soft smile.

“Ain’t you a cutie,” she coos, immediately zoning in on Peter and Bucky, who relinquishes the baby to his sister. “And you too,” the woman continues, stepping close to Tony with a huge smile.

She’s an omega, Tony notices with surprise. He would at least have expected a beta to lead the shelter, but then again, Rebecca Barnes looks tough as hell. Tony decides to push his prejudices down like the preconceived notions they are. He hates that his upbringing still colors his opinions like that. He hopes he can do better by Peter.

“Tony, nice to meet you,” he introduces himself. “And this little troublemaker is Peter.” Becky laughs as Peter takes his own introduction as an invitation to tug the woman’s long hair. “Come here, you,” he mock-scolds the boy and takes him from her arms. “Sorry about that.”

“Nice to meet you too, Peter. And you, Tony! I hope you had a pleasant stay at my brother’s. He’s not as charming as our usual welcome committee,” she teases, spreading her arms invitingly and earning a rough shove from her brother. Of course, Becky answers that with one of her own that manages to make Bucky chuff with pain.

Her easy manner immediately puts Tony at ease. He gets why she’s in charge of the shelter. She looks non-threatening and welcoming, while she probably hides a tough center. Working at a shelter for abused omegas can’t be an easy job, judging from the fact that they have night security.

“He was the perfect host,” Tony assures her with an amused glance towards the alpha who suddenly seems to find the grass beneath his feet extremely interesting. Tony is more charmed than he should be.

“I would’ve come to get you, but the jeep hasn’t been doing its job,” Becky finally explains with a sorrowful look at the offending car.

“Oh, no, it’s perfectly fine,” Tony assures her. “Really, didn’t mind at all, your brother took good care of us; but maybe I could have a look at that car. I like to tinker with old models in my spare time.”

It’s not even a lie, though ‘old models’ is probably pushing it, since what he usually does is restore classics. An old jeep probably won’t be too hard to fix, though.

Becky’s face lights up, but before she can agree, they’re interrupted by a greeting shouted from the house.

“Hey, Buck, you’re late!” 

Tony looks up to see two men walk towards them with heavy steps. Both are clearly military, both clearly alphas. 

“You missed all the fun yesterday.”

Tony shrinks back, arms immediately tightening around Peter. It’s an instinctive reaction, he knows this, but he can’t ignore it, not when he still hears Ty’s menacing steps come toward them like thunderclaps.

But as soon as they spot Tony, both alphas stop before Tony can even catch their scent. Each remains still, arms by their sides in a non-threatening stance.

These are clearly alphas used to being around omegas who feel threatened by their presence, and the way they greet Bucky with a hug and slap on the shoulder makes Tony surmise that these two are the security detail keeping the inhabitants of the shelter safe. 

“Got in trouble again, did ya, punk?” Bucky teases the blond, ruffling a hand through his hair, which makes the blond hunk duck and swat at him.

“Nah, that was an easy one,” the other alpha replies. “Guy tried to put up a fight, but couldn’t even hold his own against Steve for thirty seconds.”

“That lazy bum over there didn’t even show up in time to help!” the blond - Steve - complains. 

“Not like you needed it,” the second alpha snorts. “Had him on the ground when I showed up. We escorted them off the premises and into a waiting police car.”

Police car? Did they… 

“Sorry to interrupt so rudely,” Tony starts and makes a few steps towards the group of alphas, “and without introduction too, but are you talking about the alpha that snuck around the woods yesterday? About this high, smells of alcohol and bigotry?”

Tiberius in police custody? He doesn’t dare hope that could be true.

Both alphas share a look. 

“Sounds about right, doesn’t it, Sam?” 

The other alpha nods in agreement.

“Yup, called the police on him for trespassing. Chief Fury wasn’t too amused when the guy started throwing names and money. Man’s not a fan of bribery.”

“You don’t say,” Tony laughs. 

This is brilliant. Tony’s had dealings with Fury before and knows he’s a no-nonsense kind of guy. He’s already made up his mind to press charges and this is an opportunity he better not let slip by. The way the law lies right now, they’ll be divorced in no time and Peter will be safe.

But first, he’ll have to get back to the city.

Tony’s musings get interrupted when a horde of kids starts pouring out of the house. The cubs, the oldest probably about twelve and the smallest just being able to toddle behind the others, make their way over to where the adults are standing, all babbling excitedly.

“Bucky!” a little girl shouts, latching onto the Alpha’s leg. “Bucky, there was bad men yesterday but Steeb an’ Sam catched ‘em!”

“Did they now,” Bucky asks with an amused sideways glance at the two men, before bending down to let the little girl wrap her hands around his neck. “Hold on, sweetheart. Ready?” At her nod, he rights himself, the girl hanging from his neck like a monkey and squealing in delight, until Bucky is upright again and catches her safely in his strong arm.

“Mommy, did ya see me? Mommy, look, I made it all the way up on my own today!”

Tony looks up to see two women walking towards them, one smiling gently as Bucky hands over her child.

“She was very sickly when they came here,” Becky explains. 

Tony hadn’t noticed her stepping close. He nods, taking in the scene before him, Bucky playing jungle gym for the younger kids, while Steve and Sam entertain the older ones for a bit. 

“The guys often practice with them during their free time, teach them some basic self defense moves and play with them.”

Tony is honestly stunned. This looks more like a family than a shelter, he thinks, as he watches Sam kick a football around with some of the older kinds and one of their moms, while Steve shows two girls something in the grass. Bucky is talking to the little blond girl and her mother, who has a watchful eye on her daughter, as she pulls herself up on Bucky’s arm again and again. She’s gonna be a fierce one once she’s grown.

“You’re taking good care of them here,” he remarks, turning back towards Becky. “Bet it’s not an easy job.” 

She just smiles. “We do what we can. Sometimes it’s disheartening to see how many omegas are still dependent on their alphas and need our help.”

Tony shrugs. He knows exactly what she’s talking about. He’s not dependent on his alpha - or rather ex-alpha - at least financially, and he still needed help protecting his son from him. He doesn’t even want to know what it’s like for these people to be forced to flee and not be able to go back home. The shelter is nice and welcoming, but how many other omegas are out there hoping for help that’s just not there?

There must be something he can do. He’s a billionaire, for fuck’s sake.

“Say, would you mind watching Peter a bit while I take a look at that Jeep?”

***

Bucky watches Tony work, while bouncing Peter on his hip. Becky has returned to the house to do some paperwork and the children have lessons now. Sam and Steve, the jerks, have abandoned him also, both wearing the same idiotic grin that tells Bucky they’re up to something.

“You a mechanic?” Bucky asks, as he watches Tony expertly detach and take apart the carburetor in a matter of minutes.

“Something like that,” Tony replies with a grin.

Bucky is impressed and has trouble keeping his eyes to himself, while Tony wields heavy tools and even pulls out the motor itself with the help of a winch slung over the branch of a nearby tree, wiry muscles straining and covered in a light sheen of sweat.

Not that he’ll ever admit to that.

It only takes two hours and a complete oil change that leaves Tony with adorable smudges all over his face, to get the jeep running again. Like most things, Becky’s bought it used from the limited funds the shelter has, but Tony coaxes it to run way better than Bucky’s ever experienced.

“Your dad’s a miracle worker,” he tells the little boy in his arms and gets an approving gurgle in reply. “Time to get you home now, yeah?”

Peter clings to him, when his dad comes to take him to place him in the children’s seat in the back of the jeep. Bucky already misses the weight and warmth of the small body against his chest. And he’s kinda gotten used to Tony’s unique smell that has been invading his dreams all night.

Tony’s going to go back to his life, a less violent one, Bucky hopes, once he gets rid of that poor excuse of an alpha. Peter is going to grow up under the loving care of his dad, no matter whether he turns out an alpha, beta or omega in the end.

Just like it’s supposed to be.

Becky drives them into the city, since Bucky can’t drive very well with only one arm. Besides, he’d better go check what Sam and Steve are up to.

Bucky is ready to wave Tony goodbye, but the man has other ideas. Once Peter is secured and Becky has climbed into the car, he turns towards Bucky with a small smile on his lips. “Thank you for taking us in,” he mumbles quietly, fixing beautiful brown eyes on Bucky’s.

Bucky approves. He never found submissive omegas attractive. And he immediately berates himself for that train of thought.

“Was nothin’” Bucky murmurs in reply. He hasn’t done anything special, just sheltered this beautiful, strong omega and his child from the rain for a night.

Tony laughs at that, but it’s not unkind. “Aren’t you precious.”

And before Bucky can protest, Tony goes up on tiptoe and presses a kiss to Bucky’s cheek. “I’ll have to come by and do some more things to your sad little jeep and bring Petey by for a playdate.” The omega nods, seemingly satisfied, and graces Bucky with another smile that makes his stupid heart skip a beat before getting in the car.

Through the closed window, he sees the small boy waving at him with his little fists, and he waves back until the car turns a corner.

***

The next time Bucky sees Tony is on TV.

He’s been thinking about the man and his little baby boy on and off for the past couple weeks. He kept wondering if Tony was alright, if the asshole alpha threatening his husband and child got what he deserved.

Maybe he went back to a familiar hell instead of facing his family’s scorn for leaving his married alpha. It’s still too common a reaction, even nowadays.

But he hears nothing, even though Tony promised to visit.

Bucky isn’t sulking, no matter what Steve and Becky say.

It just would have been nice to know Tony is safe.

But then, one quiet evening, he sits down with some of the omegas and his sister in the common room to watch some talk show or other while doing puzzles with the children. When the host announces the world’s once again most eligible bachelor and engineering prodigy as his next guest, Bucky’s already tuning out the background noise to focus on helping little Violet with her puzzle.

Until the voice that comes over the speakers hits him right in the memories.

“Thanks for having me, Sheila,” Tony - his Tony, dressed in a bespoke suit and wearing a pair of expensive sunglasses - says, as he sits down next to the host with a charming smile.

The puzzle is abandoned, as Bucky turns towards the screen in time to watch Tony’s name scroll across the screen.

“Anthony Edward Stark - Back on the Market.”

He bristles a little at the subtext (being available is not a suitable attribute to characterise a person), just before his brain finally catches up to what he’s actually seeing.

“Stark? Tony Stark?” he murmurs. His brave little omega is Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, omega, philanthropist and all around wild child, until he inherited his father’s business.

And apparently got married to an undeserving asshole. And had a baby. And had landed in Bucky’s hut and in his bed and in his heart.

Bucky is flabbergasted, as he watches the man who’s smiled at him over chocolate chip pancakes and with a smudge of motor oil on his cheek, all suave and dressed to the nines.

“Now, let’s start with the most important question first: after just over a year of marriage, you’re back on the market. Care to tell us what happened?”

What follows is the story of how Tony was coerced to marry one of his father’s acquaintances, pressured by social conventions and the expectations of his shareholders. Turns out the good Tiberius Stone (and Bucky can barely hold back upon hearing that name for the first time) is an asshole who doesn’t know when to quit.

Luckily, Tony isn’t a quitter either, as Bucky goes on to discover. The man doesn’t spare his ex in the slightest, and the whole world can see that he’s telling the truth.

The brave omega, who Bucky admired so much before, speaks out for omega rights and condemns the narrow-mindedness still reigning in so many heads today.

Bucky hangs onto his every word. The strength in this man is breathtaking and, if he hadn’t known it before, it becomes crystal clear during the following half hour that his feelings for Tony run much deeper than just mere affection.

At the same time, however, it becomes obvious that Tony - Anthony Edward Stark - is way out of Bucky’s league.

There’s just no possibility that the world’s most eligible bachelor could be interested in a crippled army vet like him. Yeah, not gonna happen. Fairy tales are called that for a reason, and this isn’t his Cinderfella story.

So, when Becky calls him a few days later, all excited saying that Tony Stark has announced a visit, Bucky asks Steve to cover his shift (before the meddling punk can find out that Stark is coming) and hides away in his little hut that’s well away from the shelter.

Tony’s told Becky that she can expect a sizeable donation, and Bucky is really happy for her and the people living there, especially the kids. His sister works hard to keep the shelter running and everybody safe, fed and happy, but they have to rely heavily on donations, and whatever Tony Stark is willing to shell out is gonna help them in the long run. She, at the very least, deserves the recognition that’s bound to come with the paparazzi, which accompanies the man everywhere he goes.

For that very reason, Bucky gave up watching TV (except for streaming), because everywhere he looks, there’s Tony: Tony looking good at this gala or that social event; Tony being all smart and competent when he’s talking about his business and charity work; Tony smiling at the blurry blob that is Peter in his arms. He’s still an ace at keeping his boy out of the media. There’s probably a whole legal team working on keeping the young Stark heir safe.

Bucky doesn’t begrudge Tony all that. He deserves it. He’s a good businessman, a brilliant scientist and a doting father. But it still hurts, seeing that boyish smile that he got to enjoy for a brief moment over pancakes and coffee.

So, when Stark Industries comes rolling down the street with a camera team, a moving truck, several jeeps and a limousine with dark-tinted windows, Bucky puts on some headphones, volume turned way up, and gets a start on chopping firewood for the winter. Nobody’s gonna bother him here.

At least that’s what he believes, until a tiny brown-haired boy comes crawling into his line of sight, all toothless grin and shining eyes. Bucky sets down the axe immediately, taking care to put it well out of reach of tiny hands, and pulls off his earphones.

“Petey, what are you doing here?” he asks the boy, who is gurgling with excitement. 

Then, he quickly glances around because there’s just no way the baby managed to crawl here all the way from the shelter. And indeed, his eyes immediately settle on the vision that is Tony Stark standing just beyond the tree line, dressed in jeans and a simple tee with grease stains.

Bucky can’t help the soft smile that falls across his lips. Like this, Tony looks just like the guy that crawled out from under the shelter’s crappy jeep, after he helped change the oil, and looking nothing like the genius billionaire omega philanthropist the world gets to see every day. Like this, he looks like Peter’s dad, concerned for his son and willing to put himself between the little guy and an alpha just to keep him safe.

Like this, he looks like a person that Bucky would love to get to know.

“Hey, stranger,” Tony finally calls, with a twinkle in his eyes, “why are you hiding out here?”

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Bucky asks back, though not unkindly. He can’t hide that he’s glad to see Tony, even though he wanted to avoid him. To distract himself, he leans down to pick Peter up, who squeals excitedly when Bucky carefully lifts him over his head, with one broad palm safely holding him.

“Show’s already over,” Tony shrugs, slowly wandering over, as if he were afraid Bucky might startle and run, which isn’t too unlikely if Bucky’s honest. “We missed you, Petey and I.”

That makes Bucky look up from where he’s been watching the boy chase butterflies with his hands. “I’m sure there were lots of kids for you to play with.”

Tony laughs. “That’s for sure, but not exactly what we were looking for.”

“No?” Bucky takes a few steps towards Tony now, being drawn to the handsome man like a moth to the flame, as much as he hates being guided by his hormones. “What were you looking for? Grumpy vet living alone in the woods?”

He comes to a stop, still several feet away from Tony, but the other man doesn’t care for the distance much, it seems, as he steps up without hesitation to put an arm around Peter and touch Bucky’s arm in the process.

There’s a million butterflies in Bucky’s stomach all of a sudden, and he shouldn’t have to be nervous. He’s an alpha, he’s strong and powerful and all omegas better lay down in the dust trembling before him and begging to be his mate.

Yeah, as if. Bucky’s scared, scared by this perfect man standing in front of him, smiling up at him shyly, but with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that he can’t hide even behind the sunglasses he constantly wears in public.

“More like the brave soul that’s been good to me and my son and that I haven’t been able to get out of my head since he cooked me pancakes. I mean, what guy would turn down a guy who can make pancakes like that, right? I’d be pretty stupid not to like you. And Petey loves you, just look at him!” Tony gets all of this out without taking a single breath, but breaks off suddenly.

The babbling is adorable. It’s like Tony is nervous. But as the other man casts down his eyes, moving to take his hand from Bucky’s arm, Bucky realises that Tony is, indeed, nervous.

Because of him.

He doesn’t know what to say. He’s been crushing on this man from the moment he caught his scent through his cracked door that night, and it’s been only getting worse with every minute that Bucky got to experience the amazing man Tony is.

And now, this same man, genius billionaire omega philanthropist, is looking up from beneath his lashes, like he wants nothing more than to kiss Bucky senseless.

There’s just no way.

But Peter clearly is in cahoots with his dad, because the boy, obviously tired of being ignored by the adults holding him, reaches out a hand to pull at his dad’s hair. The man has no choice but to lean closer or risk having his hair janked out quite forecfully by the shouting baby.

“Bu, Bu!” Peter babbles, as Tony’s face nears his, a shout of pain and surprise on his lips but laughter and fondness in his eyes. 

“Ow, Petey, let go, you little devil! I promised I’d kiss him, no need to help,” the brunet protests, clutching at his hair, until Peter lets go, and all he can do is stare up into Bucky’s eyes.

And Bucky can do nothing but stare back, mouth halfway open in amazement, before he finds his voice and his wits again. 

“So, that’s how it is, hm?” He can’t keep the amused growl out of his voice completely. “Got the little guy to play matchmaker?”

Tony laughs, and Bucky discovers that they’re close enough that the smaller man’s breath caresses his face gently. 

“More like he got tired of his old man pining for the brave gentleman vet he met in the woods a while ago.”

“Pining, huh?” Bucky asks, just to make sure. He can’t believe this is really happening, afraid that Tony will dissolve into thin air and leave him standing alone, cold and with an empty hand.

But of course, Peter isn’t done helping just yet, because next, he grabs a tiny fistful of Bucky’s hair and pulls, making him yelp. “Okay, I get it,” he protests with a pained grimace, while at the same time thoroughly enjoying Tony’s loud laughter.

It turns out that laughter tastes as good as it sounds, when Bucky finally dares to lean in and press their lips together.

And it turns out that Peter can also be an angel when he gets what he wants, for he allows Bucky and Tony to kiss for several minutes before he starts wiggling again.

Both men part with a sigh, keeping their heads together, cheeks pressed flush against each other’s , as Tony takes Peter from Bucky’s arm.

“You serious about this?” Bucky whispers, hesitant to break the spell that fell over them.

“If you’ll have an omega that’s already belonged to another and raise a child with him that isn’t yours…” Tony’s voice is just as hesitant as Bucky’s.

At that, Bucky finally lets out the huge smile that’s been tugging at his lips.

“Actually, I’d love nothing better.”

***

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to put my own spin on A/B/O, so I'm curious what you think!
> 
> You can also come shout at me on [tumblr](http://harvestingstorm.tumblr.com/)!


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